Thursday, November 25, 2010

Microchip implant (animal)

A microchip implant is an identifying integrated circuit placed under the skin of a dog, cat, horse, or other animal. The chips are about the size of a large grain of rice and are based on a passive RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology.

The use of externally attached microchip devices such as RFID ear tags (piercings rather than implants) is another, related method commonly used for identifying farm and ranch animals other than horses. In some cases the external microchips may be readable on the same scanner as the implanted style.